The music video for ‘Skeletons’ introduces the title track and first single from DAWN OF SOLACE’s forthcoming fifth studio album. The Finnish melodic doom/gothic metal band have also joined M-Theory Audio’s North American roster, with the album scheduled for release in the territory on February 12.
Tuomas Saukkonen describes the single’s progression: “The title track of the album and first single ‘Skeletons’ is a hypnotic Nordic pulse that grows darker and stronger until the grandeur of the chorus kicks in and brings a tidal wave of melodies.”
That contrast also informs his account of the full-length. Saukkonen calls ‘Skeletons’ the darkest DAWN OF SOLACE album, pointing to the interplay between Mikko Heikkilä’s harsh vocals and melodic cleans. He says the somber melodies remain, while their heavier counterforce has become more pronounced: “The profoundly somber melodies are still there but on this album the counterforce is far more tenebrous and heavy than before. Scandinavian darkness in its finest form.”
The announcement describes the songwriting as rooted in doom metal, with death and gothic metal elements and a stronger blend of growling vocals alongside Heikkilä’s clean singing. Heikkilä is also associated with Kaunis Kuolematon and Sinamore.
‘Skeletons’ will be available on CD and an ‘acid rain’ colored vinyl edition limited to 300 copies. Physical and digital pre-orders are available, including vinyl, CD and T-shirt bundle options. In a statement accompanying the signing, the band describe the forthcoming album as their first to receive a proper North American release.
DAWN OF SOLACE began in 2005 as Saukkonen’s melancholic death/doom solo project. Also known for Wolfheart and Before The Dawn, Saukkonen released the debut ‘The Darkness and the Light’ in 2006. Legal and contractual issues subsequently led to an extended hiatus, before the project returned in 2019.
The new album is the fourth full-length since that return, following ‘Woe’ in 2020, ‘Flames of Perdition’ in 2022 and ‘Affliction Vortex’ in 2025. It brings the project’s total to five studio albums.
The lineup consists of Heikkilä on vocals and Saukkonen on guitars, bass, drums and backing vocals. Session musicians Jukka Salovaara and Saku Moilanen contribute solo guitar and keys, respectively.
Moilanen, whose credits include Wolfheart and Bloodred Hourglass, recorded, mixed and mastered ‘Skeletons’ at Deep Noise Studios. Colton Glancey created the cover artwork.
